Children sitting in parallel
rows, their eyes locked in a gaze at the teacher standing before them,
instructing the class on reading, writing, or arithmetic. This is exactly
the picture that Maria Montessori refused to conform to when she created
her revolutionary school. She called it a "House for Childhood".

Which is precisely what she created,
not a place where children would be placed in rows to be lectured at about
the knowledge of the adult world, but a home where children could examine
and discover their own world. Montessori said of her schools, "Ours was
a house for children, rather than a real school. We had prepared a place
for children where a diffused culture could be assimilated, without any
need for direct instruction."(Seldin www). Instead of rows of desks, a
Montessori classroom is filled with child-sized tables, and shelves filled
with specially designed educational toys and activities. Although Montessori
developed her method of teaching over one-hundred years ago, this classroom
scene can still be found in todayís Montessori schools. Furthermore
while her methods were controversial when they were first introduced, her
techniques coordinate with much of what we have discovered about childhood
development. What gave Maria Montessori the ability create such a innovative
teaching technique that would transcend time? It was not necessarily her
excellent teaching ability, but her awareness of the children whom she
observed. In addition, her willingness to take dramatic steps away from
the accepted teaching methods of the era, allowed for her breakthroughs
in education.

As she found herself on the edge
of society, Maria Montessori also developed a pedagogy which would reflect
Howard Gardnerís Multiple Intelligence theory years before itís
publication. Her unique teaching style allows children an amount of freedom
to explore their own discovery of knowledge. To suport this, my own experience
with Montessori schools reflects the usage of a variety of intelligences
in the teaching methods of Maria Montessori.

Montessoriís Own Development

Maria Montessori was born in
1870 as the only child of Alessandro Montessori ,a military man, and Renilde
Stoppani, niece of a famous geologist. Her parents were well educated,
but not wealthy. While her life began in Anacona, Italy, her family moved
to Rome when she was twelve and this is where she began to distinguish
herself as a student. Perhaps, she always sensed her great potential, at
the age of twelve, while desperately ill, she eased her mother saying,"
Donít worry, mother. I cannot die. I have too much to do in my life."(anthology,6)
She became interested in mathematics and enrolled in an engineering technical
school for boys. This type of education was not available for girls at
the time. Eventually, her interests turned to biology and she began looking
at medicine. Despite her fatherís disapproval, Montessori entered
the Medical School at the University of Rome (Packard 11-15). Ironically,
she had rejected choosing a profession that was the traditional refuge
for women, teaching. However, this is where she would one day find fame.

Montessori entered as the
only woman student at the Medical School of Rome. For this bold decision,
she was ridiculed by the male students and was forced to work alone and
at night with the cadavers. It was considered inappropriate for a women
to work with the men in dissecting class. She earned her way through the
university with work as a tutor and scholarships. Montessori repeatedly
demonstrated that she was willing to break the boundaries of what was expected
in society. At the age of twenty-six, Maria Montessori graduated with honors
from medical school as the first women medical doctor and surgeon in Italy.

She then entered into a stage
which would lead her into what she referred to as her "unknown work". She
had no idea at the time of the impact she as a doctor would make on education.
Simultaneously, Montessori held four positions which would lead her to
her great developments. She began practicing medicine in Rome. While at
the same time, she served as the Chair of Hygiene at the Magistro Femminile.
As a frequent public speaker she used this position to rally support for
peace efforts, the rights of women, and child labor law reform around the
world. Her support for these causes demonstrated her willingness to step
outside the socially acceptable and to seek change. Through this work Montessori
became well know and reagarded throughout Europe. In addition, she worked
on the University of Romeís Faculty of Pedagogy. Finally, she held
an appointment as an assistant doctor in the Psychiatric Clinic in the
University of Rome (Packard, 11-21).

The Growth of an Idea

As a physician, she was a scientist,
not a teacher. However, she specialized in pediatrics and psychiatry, and
through this work she came into contact with children and began to acquire
an awareness of their development (Seldin, www.). It is not necessarily
through her great teaching abilities that Montessori made her great discoveries,
but in her ability to acknowledge what she had observed in the children
around her. Through her strides in her discoveries about childhood development,
Montessori demonstrated her exceptional interpersonal as well as interpersonal
intelligences.

While she developed an understanding
for children in her work as a physician, it was in her work at the Psychiatric
Clinic that she made some of her greatest discoveries. It was here that
she realized the untapped human potential in many children. In 1901 She
was appointed director of the orthophrenic school at the University of
Rome. The school had been used as an asylum for "deficient and insane"
children of the city(Seldin, www). Many of the children were probably retarded
or autistic. She walked into an empty room with only children who lined
the walls sitting on benches for hours at a time, Montessori was appalled.
She was told that the children were "greedy and dirty" as they would scramble
to pick crumbs up off the ground when they were left after a meal. Montessori
was horrified by the scene and began developing a wave of reform in the
school (Anthology, 9).

Using the scientific approach
of observation and experimentation from Edouard Seguin and Jean Itard Montessori
began studying the children. She became sensitive to the childrenís
need for stimulation, purposeful activity, and self-esteem. Based on her
observations, Montessori developed a revolutionary curriculum that would
teach the young children how to care for themselves and their environment.

Montessori adopted a task that
had never been attempted before, to recognize the potential of the mentally
handicapped children. She argued that mentally deficient children needed
education more than medical treatment. Furthermore, she believed that if
provided with the right environment, these children would absorb knowledge
presented to them through their own discoveries. Her first task was to
create the environment. First, she insisted that the staff speak to the
children with the utmost respect. She them began developing a series of
educational toys intended to stimulate the children. Furthermore, much
of her technique also focused on individual attention to the children (Pines
103-107). Her methods proved to be very successful and received much attention
when her "deficient" students were able to pass the sixth grade proficiency
exams for the Italian public schools. Montessori responded by suggesting
that her results only proved that the public schools should be able to
get much better results with "normal" children (Seldin, www).

Following her success, Montessori
became eager to test her methods on "normal" children. However, Italian
law prevented her from being able to open a private school for children
over the age of six. Nevertheless, the Italian government was developing
a daycare program for children under six in on of the cityís slums.
(The major motivation for opening the daycare was that he children were
disruptive and destructive, and the government wanted something to occupy
them during the day.) They offered Montessori directorship of this program
and thus began the first "House for Children"(Packard 15-19).

A Revolution in Education

When Montessori opened the first
"Casi del Bambini" in 1907 she stated that "the task of the educator lies
in seeing that the child does not confuse good with immobility and evil
with activity, as often happens in the case of old-time discipline." (Anthology,
12). Her goal was then to provide an environment which would guide a childís
progress, to make him or her truly independent, both physically and mentally.

Instead of the rows of
desks which were common, and still are, in classroom, she had child-sized
tables, cabinets and shelves made for her classroom. These she filled with
her "educational toys and activities". She used many from her previous
work with the mentally handicapped children, but developed many more. Her
array of toys included lacing frames, series of pegs to develop the concept
of numbers, weights to be fitted into progressively deeper or wider holes,
and sandpaper letters to study the movement of oneís hand when tracing
letters. Interestingly, these same toys are still used in todayís
Montessori classrooms. The equipment allows the child to work at his or
her own pace, while urging the child to perfect himself (Pines 106). She
felt that a child possesses an "absorbent mind" which should not be limited.
The environment is essential because, "These impressions not only penetrate
the mind of the child, but they form it; they become incarnated, for the
child makes his own ëmental fleshí using the things that are
in his environment." (Education, 17).

In addition, Montessori also
encouraged the child to choose what task and concept he or she wanted to
examine, and the length of time they wanted to spend on their task. The
children were allowed to move about freely, choosing where to sit, whether
it be on floor mats or at the tables. This type of freedom had never been
allowed in classroom before Montessoriís schools. This was a revolution
in a time when classrooms were ideally rows of pupils confined in upright
posture for hours at a time. In fact physicians began to complain about
the extensive curvature of the spine that the posture was giving the children,
and rehabilitation classes had to be provided to correct the spinal deformations
that the desks had caused childrenís backs. In contrast, Montessoriís
classrooms allowed students the freedom of movement denied in public schools.

The new expectations for the
students would also change the role of the teacher in Montessoriís
classrooms. "She would no longer dominate the stage with her ëpatronizing,
enfeebling protection.í" (Pines 106). The teacher would serve as
a facilitator, who would guide the independent work of the children, while
maintaining a keen sense of observation over their needs.

Perhaps the greatest, and most
innovative aspect of the Montessori classroom is the independence and appreciation
for discovery which it instills in itís students. The equipment,
encourages children to be self motivated, to seek perfection, and to concentrate
for long periods of time. Furthermore, the techniques also reinforce a
sense of responsibility for oneís work and accomplishments, while
still embracing the curiosity of children.

At a time when it was accepted
that children should be seen but not heard, Maria Montessori was a revolutionary
when she implied that children were complete human beings at the most important
stage of their development. She even gave the credit of development to
the child, instead of the teacher when she stated that, "This creation
of the child is no mean achievement! He (the child) creates not only the
language, but the organs that enable it to be spoken. Every physical movement
he creates, every means of intelligent expression." (Education, 16).

Maria Montessori adapted an educational
program unlike any other. However, this was not through pure invention.
Dr. Montessori learned from the children how they would best learn. She
commented, "I protest against myself being hailed as the great educator
of this century, because what I have done is merely to study the child,
to take and to express what he has given me, and that is called the Montessori
Method." (Education,4.)

This great ability to be sensitive
to the needs and characteristics of the children she studied is an essential
aspect of her ability to create a form of pedagogy which would recognize
the incredible human potential of children.

Montessori in Action

What does the Montessori Method
look like in action? This is a question I sought to answer while studying
Dr. Montessori. Consequently, I spent an afternoon in Discovery Montessori
School in Akron, Ohio.

I walked into what looked like
a chaotic room of two through five year olds, and was greeted by a very
calm, warm woman, Mrs. Muhad. It was interesting that she was able to completely
turn her back on the classroom and talk to me without the children noticing.
This is probably because each child was busily concentrating on his or
her task. I was given a chair off to one side of the room, from which to
observe the class. It was as if the classroom had been created from one
of Montessoriís books. What had first appeared to be chaotic, I
realized was in complete order. While there were no parallel rows of desks,
and not a single child was working on the same task, each student had chosen,
and was focused on his or her task or lesson. There were children working
on spelling and writing with textured letters. Some children were reading
to themselves or to others. At the same time, students were examining numbers,
counting, and adding using beads, pegs, cards, worksheets and a variety
of equipment which looked like Maria Montessori had designed herself. There
were children who were learning the countries on the globe by teaching
each other a song. While the room was filled with the sound of chattering
voices and children busily moving around, there was purpose and order in
their activity.

The teacher, Mrs. Muhad walked
around the room observing what the children were working on. She was able
to spend some time talking to me and told me that Dr. Montessori felt that
it was important for the children to establish their own independence.
Therefore each student was responsible for choosing what they would work
on. She also stated that it was very important that the child was encouraged
to stop working on the task when they became disinterested because she
wanted to "utilize that time when the childís mind was most absorbent"
the time when they are doing the task for themselves. The moment that the
task becomes a chore, the child is doing it for the teacher, and learning
becomes a job. For example when a child who was spelling began to wander
around, Mr Muhad asked her, "Do you want to do more words, or stop?" When
given the choice, the child was free to study those lessons in which she
was interested. Therefore, her learning would be more productive.

Furthermore it was very important
that the children did their work independently and did not rely on Mrs.
Muhad for the answer. She would explain to a child the purpose of their
toy or lesson and then walk away. It was the childís responsibility
to complete the activity, ask for more instructions or another word to
spell.This demonstrated the incredible ability of children to teach themselves,
to develop the skills of examination and concentration in themselves.

While they were all independently
working, they were also made aware of each otherís needs. Mr Muhad
also informed me that Dr. Montessori felt that there was a time when a
childís mind was especially absorbent to social awareness. She made
them aware of the necessity to clean up after oneself so that another child
could use the toys. In addition, when a child began to cry, while consoling
the boy she asked for the attention of another child and said, " some one
is crying, will you get some kleenex for him." Instead of the teacher resolving
the problem, she asked the child to take part in helping their peers. This
encourages the children to become aware of their responsibility to eachother.

Perhaps the greatest genius in
Montessoriís methods is that the children were completely comfortable
in this environment. They were not forced or pressured into doing any of
their lessons. They flourished in the classroom. Three and four year old
children were able to read and write. In adition, very young children were
able to read four digit numbers, add ,and subtract. This is a result of
Maria Montessoriís incredible interpersonal skills. Her ability
to create a educational style based on children, not on adult expectations
of children, stems from her astute ability of observation and recognition.

Gardner Before His Time

Educational systems have been
criticized for not incorporating enough of Howard Gardnerís theory
of multiple intelligence into their curriculum. Perhaps one should look
to a Montessori school. It is possible that Maria Montessori recognized
this theory in her teaching methods long before Howard Gardner ever published
it. A Montessori classroom displays a much broader curricula than many
schools, and all of Howard Gardnerís seven intelligences are being
utilized.

The first of these is spatial,
as almost every lesson begins with a spatial examination of the concept.
This could range from examining shapes to tracing letters to comparing
weights with their sizes. All of these encourage a child to examine the
space that an object occupies, and to relate this to a concept. Furthermore,
the verbal linguistic and mathematical logical concepts are examined in
foreign languages, spelling, reading and counting lessons. Montessori acknowledges
that these lessons are essential in our society but can be taught through
a variety of methods. In addition, the interpersonal intelligence is highlighted
as students are encouraged to teach each other concepts an addition to
being made aware of the needs of other children. Furthermore, the childís
intrapersonal intelligence is developed as each child learns to concentrate,
and to examine a concept independently. Moreover, the use of music and
song to learn concepts is demonstrated in Montessori classrooms. Finally,
most Montessori schools include lessons on creative movement, to teach
the children how to use their bodies and movement to express themselves.

Moreover, the freedom to chose
what activity to work on is possibly the strongest parallel between Gardner
and Montessoriís methods. Montessori recognized the fact that there
were several different forms of intelligence. This is why she felt it essential
that children chose what they want to explore. She observed that if a child
chooses to work with letters and spelling, the child is at a stage in when
his or her verbal linguistic intelligence is being developed. For this
reason, she felt it necessary to create an environment in which all of
a childís intellectual developments could be satisfied as they occurred.
Furthermore, she also recognized that a child might be stronger in one
learning technique over another, and this is why the independent learning
technique is so important. Although Montessoriís techniques are
over ninety years old they recognize much of what we have recently discovered
about development and intelligence. Montessoriís ability to take
with her the lessons children taught her, and to create a pedagogy which
would recognize the human potential of children, and challenge the prevailing
educational system is what deems her to be a truly creative mind.